


Old Friends (incomplete, this will no longer be updated)

by orphan_account



Category: Asagao Academy: Normal Boots Club
Genre: F/M, Gen, Multi, Supernatural Elements, i think? a wraith creature and antisepticeye counts right
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-31
Updated: 2017-04-13
Packaged: 2018-10-24 10:42:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10740060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: After Avery's first year dealing with her Crossed counterpart--a wraith-like creature that can steal people's appearances--things have changed. A transfer student from Ireland with a similar problem has befriended her, bonds between friends have strengthened, and the monsters have calmed. Unfortunately, for her and her friends, demons seem to be back. And they're out for revenge.





	1. Prologue and Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i should note that because i used to update these so infrequently, my writing style has changed over time. since i'm only just putting this up, the first few chapters (or even the ones aside from the most recent ones) may seem a little jarring if you're familiar with my new works.

_CA was there. Watching my every move, waiting to strike. I was supposed to be its first target. An oblivious, stupid kill that wouldn’t be missed. To take the form of my best friend and lure me into a trap in the middle of the night._  
A cold trickle of sweat dripped down Avery’s back as she shot up in bed. She almost never had dreams, or at least ones that she could remember as well as this. Now, with the nightmare so fresh in her mind, she checked her skin for any wounds she felt inflicted on her, only to find none. Avery searched the room and even outside her window, only to see no signs of the wraith that plagued her first year at Asagao.  
_Good riddance,_ she thought. _I’ve had enough of it to last me a lifetime._  
And still, as she laid back down and tried to sleep, she couldn’t. Switching the music she was listening to to a calmer playlist didn’t help, any position she usually slept in didn’t help, nothing could. Avery groaned and placed her feet on the top rungs below her roommate’s mattress. Was Ellie still awake?  
A shift above her already answered her question. Avery peeked her head out from the bed, looking up at Ellie. “Hey, Ellie? I know this sounds stupid, but I had a nightmare.”  
“Hm?” She looked down at Avery, her face drawn in concern. “Well, that’s odd. What was it about?”  
Avery sighed, trying to collect her thoughts. “Well,you remember back in first year when I was being followed around by this wraith thing disguising itself as you and trying to kill me?”  
_I’m smarter than that, at least I was back then. I know Ellie, I know what she looks like. That wraith didn’t perfect their disguise, and I figured it out._  
Ellie’s eyes widened. “Oh, don’t tell me CA’s back.”  
“I don’t know, but I wouldn’t be surprised. But it’s a bit late, Halloween’s over.” Avery looked outside at the field surrounding the campus. The grass was frosted over, making it appear more of a mint green than its usual lush color. “Guess the timing of wraiths isn’t very good.” She laughed nervously.  
“Avery, if CA is still chasing you, I don’t think it’s a good time to be making jokes about it. We need to do something.” Ellie sighed and climbed down from her bed, joining Avery on her bed. “Maybe Ian knows something about it?”  
_I crossed it out with an ‘x’ across its face. I was shaking the whole time, scared that I was going to die, but I did it. I thought I killed it, so long ago._  
“I don’t think actual fucking wraiths come from the televoid, Ellie. A dimension centered around old TV shows and static? Why would it try to use D &D monsters to kill people outside of it? I dunno, it just seems implausible.” Avery sat up, and glanced out her window again. Still no sign of CA. Something else seemed off, and she jumped out of her bed to the window. Ellie followed, curious as to what Avery saw.  
“Those footprints weren’t there before.” Avery pointed to shoe-shaped prints in the grass, where the color was much brighter. “Either someone’s breaking curfew, or CA has another disguise.”  
A whimper sounded from Ellie. “I want to believe it’s the former.”  
_I was wrong._

Luke was readily able to tell if Avery was feeling off, whether or not it was due to the wraith. Falling grades, constant stress, paranoia, were all key factors that Avery needed help. So when she walked over to the Hidden Block table with a sullen look, Luke was quick to ask her what was wrong.  
“Shitty test grade.” She replied, and pulled out a graded exam from her backpack. ‘72’ was written at the top in red ink, and she threw the test in front of her.  
“A 72? That’s just normal for me, why’re you so worried?” Caddy raised an eyebrow.  
“Gee, I dunno, maybe because I’m on scholarship?” Avery retorted. “I’m already pissed off enough today, James.”  
Oh, that was right. Irritability was also a given, when Avery wasn’t paranoid. Really, it happened whenever she was stressed, so no doubt a low grade would bring that up. After a moment of staring Caddy down, Avery sat again and packed away her test. It wasn’t worth starting a fight over this, at least to her.  
“Maybe I’ll just ask Miss Shizuka if I can retake it.” She muttered, beginning to pick at her food. Both Avery and Luke were fairly quiet the rest of the lunch period, choosing instead to listen to the flitting conversations between the rest of the club. Halfway through, Avery stood up and began to walk away when Luke stopped her.  
“Hey, where are you heading to? You look upset.” Luke’s eyes were filled with concern, as he met the blank stare of Avery.  
“Just over to Jack’s dorm.” She talked on a bit more on what she was going to do there--something about chemistry notes--but Luke drowned them out the moment Avery mentioned Jack. Of course, where else would she be going? A wave of both jealousy, and guilt at feeling that same jealousy, washed over him. It wasn’t her fault, or anyone’s fault, that she wanted to hang out with him instead. And Luke could see why--when you got past the loud (or annoying, according to Ian)exterior, Jack was a person who genuinely cared about those around him.  
And at the same time, Luke felt replaced. After all that Avery had gone through in her first year, and how often he was there to comfort her and take care of her, he started daydreaming about the two of them: dating throughout high school, managing a long distance relationship through college, moving to America and just living life together. Now, Luke was sure that all of that would never happen.  
As much as he tried to reassure himself that Avery didn’t have romantic feelings for Jack, there was always that one doubt, wiggling itself into the back of his mind.  
The concerned words of Jeff and a poke on the shoulder brought Luke back from staring off into space. Avery had been gone for at least a few minutes at this point. He wanted to stay, but he wasn’t hungry, and the lunchroom suddenly felt noisy and crowded to him. Quickly, Luke picked up his tray and, despite Jimmy’s complaints about saving the food for him, trashed it and headed out of the lunchroom.

 _Room 338._ Avery knocked on the dorm door, expecting Jack to bound up, maybe a few footsteps, and being pulled inside the moment the door opened.  
Instead, there was nothing.  
She peeked under the door. The lights were on, which puzzled her. She knocked again, and still nothing. Praying that no one inside was changing, Avery turned the doorknob and opened the door slightly.  
The first thing she noticed was that Jack was curled up in a fetal position near the one window in the room, which had been opened. The second thing she noticed was that there was a knife in the middle of the room, a few drops of blood on the tip. Avery raced inside and dropped her backpack by the door, shutting it. She carefully stepped around the knife and hugged Jack close, hoping that Anti hadn’t possessed him.  
A quick check of his eyes, which were red, puffy, and tear-filled, showed that he was safe. Both of them were safe. Avery drew Jack closer as he whimpered, feeling his own arms wrap around her.  
“Did Anti try to hurt you?” She asked, trying to keep her questions simple. She felt a nod from Jack. Over the summer, Avery had learned that Anti, some sort of creature similar to CA had gone from something just in his nightmares to a threat, and a high one at that. So much so that it had attempted to hurt him a number of times. And in some cases, it did.  
“M-more than that…” Jack shifted around and revealed his neck, which had a tiny, thin cut on its left side. Avery’s eyes widened, but he continued. “I got him off--off of me before h-he could do anything else.” He covered his mouth, trying to hold back a sob. “I know i-it sounds stupid, but I-I’m terrified, Peri…”  
Her heart tightened at Jack’s nickname for her. “You’re not stupid for being scared of a murderous creature, Jack, I promise. I’m scared of CA and Anti too.” Quietly, Avery started to hum, not necessarily any song she knew, but a string of hopefully calming notes. They resonated in her chest, and Jack tucked his head in the crook of her neck. It was a little awkward, considering that she was at least a head shorter than him, but it comforted both of them nonetheless. Eventually, Jack sat up and wiped at his face, his eyes still a little puffy.  
“Thanks, Peri. What time is it?”  
Avery sighed and looked at her phone. “Classes are gonna start soon. I can just photocopy my notes and give them to you instead, if that’ll help.”  
“Considering there’s a murder machine after me, I’ve got more than notes to worry about.” Jack chuckled and stood up, grabbing his own backpack. “Seriously though, thanks. I’d probably be dead at this point, or at least really alone.”  
She nodded and stood up as well, though Luke’s reaction to seeing her leave the lunchroom entered her mind again. Had Ellie told him CA might be back, or was she just acting strange to him? If it was their first year, he would’ve been all over her, trying to see what was wrong, or trying to find CA so he could fight it.  
But things were different now. Was he unable to move on from the past, or was she moving too quickly? Avery pushed the thought out of her mind as she took her own backpack and exited Jack’s dorm room with him, hoping that there wouldn’t be any other incidents that day.


	2. Chapter 2

“Why do teachers think it’s a good idea to give us homework over the weekend?” Ellie groaned and stretched out, her arms reaching up to the ceiling. “Don’t they know there’s a thing called enjoying yourself?”  
“I don’t like it either, but we have to get it done.” Avery answered, even though her roommate’s questions didn’t really need answers. “If we were allowed to get away with not doing weekend homework, I would do it in a heartbeat.” She continued to scribble equations into her trigonometry notebook, the scratching of the pencil creating white noise for the both of them.  
Ellie stood in the middle of the room, trying to come up with a rebuttal. Eventually, she gave up and went to her own work. The two stayed in silence for most of the evening, save for the occasional humming coming from Avery’s work area.  
When the door knocked, Ellie was quick to jump up and answer it. Anything to distract her from the utter monotony that she was experiencing. Jack was on the other side, all bright smiles and sparkling blue eyes. “Avery, I think Jack wants to see you.” She called, and he nodded. He was oddly silent, but neither of the girls paid much attention to it.  
Avery sighed and closed her binder, standing up to stretch. “Well, it’d better be important. I don’t wanna waste my time too much.” She put on her jacket and joined Jack outside of her dorm room, waving a quick goodbye to Ellie before heading off.  
“We’ll be heading down to the soccer field, if that’s okay.” Jack still kept up his energy, but it seemed...suppressed.  
She raised an eyebrow. “Uh, why there? Soccer practice ended a while ago, so there’s not much to see.” Avery cast a suspicious glance at Jack, and she noticed that his hands were twitching in his pockets. She stopped and made sure she was behind him before continuing, just in case.  
Jack stalled for a moment before answering. “Um, no particular reason. Just...where I wanted to go!” He laughed nervously, his smile quickly fading.  
As they neared the soccer field, Avery got more on edge by the minute. Had Anti really gone and possessed Jack, like he had promised? Was this actually Anti, purely masquerading as Jack? Even then, more questions arose. What if he has something important to tell me? And the soccer field is really the only place he can do that? She didn’t see anything off about it, something that said he had planned something big…  
“Jack, are you okay?” Avery stopped in her tracks and grabbed Jack’s sleeve. She had to play innocent. Something was up, she knew that, but she couldn’t let that be known until it was safe. “You’re more quiet and nervous than usual today. Is there something going on?”  
He froze, his body going stiff as Avery’s sentence faded. Carefully, she stepped away from the pavement and onto the grass, closer to the soccer field. _This is it,_ she thought. _I’m gonna fucking die, and it’s my fault. I should’ve gotten out of the way while I still could._  
Before she could take off sprinting--maybe back to Poppy Hall, to her dorm, maybe even to Luke and Ian’s dorm room if she got desperate--her left arm was twisted around her back. Avery yelped in pain, but stiffened when she saw a knife pressed to her throat.  
“Y̫͍͓͕̩͂͊̈́̀̽̽ơ̸̘̞͓̣̹̰̻̔͋͒̚͜͟͞ǔ̶̧͕̗͍̤̪̀̔̍̐̃̽͘'̴̩̳̰̝̻̮͐̃̆͒̑͡͝v̮͉̲͖̮̾̆̋̃̓̓̑͛͝e̵̢͍̼̘͉̫̞͈̥̍̄͑̃̔̕ c̷͎̪̫͍̰͍̎̃̋̾̄̆͛̏͘̕ã̢̢̞̲͙͇̅͛͢͢͞͡u̧̪̘͎̱͎̜̰͒̒͐̅̊̑͛̔͂͠g̵͉̱̝̯͙͙͖̯̿̂̾̈́͌̏̊͟͢͠h̵̻̬̭͕̲͒̋͂̓ţ̘̟̠̮͉̺̳̠̻̔̌͗͐̾̇ o̝̺̭̪̬̪͒̇͗̏͂̎̚͞n̙̦̗̗̈́̓͊̈͟͠͞,̸̛̬̤͎̮̥͚̖̫͛͌̇͗ ĥ̪̳̦̣̯̮͑̄͊̂̓̚͢͢͞͠ͅa͇͕̼̱̯͐͐͐̑̿̓v̶̹̞͉̝̮̝̑̔̾̾̓̂͋̿̉̕ḙ̦̮͍̲̆̐͒̅͊̕͠͠ͅṉ̵̡̜̙̬͒̊́͗̇͊͝'̼̲̼͉͕͍̲̟͍͛̓̅̓͛̇͆̾t̴̙̣̪͙̪̰͛͑̇̍͜͡ y̥̹͙̘̖̦̯͑̈́͑́̌̿͛͜͞o̢̩̦̙̩̗͉̝͋͆̿͊̾͢͜ư͖̩͖̪̱̣̖̾̋̎̊̐͗͡?̸̮̬̳̬̤̜̼̔͛̉̆͆̽͝”  
“F-fuck, let go!” Avery tried to squirm away from Anti’s grasp, but his grip only got tighter, and the knife only got closer. She whimpered, feeling tears starting to pool in her eyes. As much as she joked about wanting to die, and how much she felt it on a daily basis...she didn’t want to die like this. Not by someone else’s hands.  
“H̩̤͖̮̝͙͛̅̍̈̿͂͡ó̷̢̘̘̥̠̟̥͈͐̄̃̈́̉̊͗̀w̢̜̱̦̤͔̣̝͆̓̓͂͐̚͢͠ p̷̢̢͓̬̖̫̙̱̤̞̌̀̎̏̂͗̂̐̋̚a̶̢̢̡̪̻̩̬̘͌̏̊̈́̆͟t̫̝̩̮̘̯͎͍̠̗͑́͌̅̒͛́̆h̷̘̬̤͎͛̄̌͌̽̉̔͡͠ͅȩ̗̫̞̻̼̤͙̂͒͘͠t͖̳͓͍͈̔̇̈̍̉͊̌i͙̣̳̼͚̳̣̭̰̇̍̂͐̑̏͟c̵̗̫͕̩̥̣̮͒̅̓͆͘͠͠͞.̶̧̛̗̼̤͋͒͑̓̉͑͋̍͞ͅ.̧̬͓̺͈͍͑͗̿̽̉̀͘͡.̛̤̖̙͍͓͈̼̔̾̉͟a̘̝͔̭̮͊̈͐̐̀̔̓̎͊̋͟ t̸̡̧̺̪̪̗͚̝̎͑̓̆̾̇̍ȏ̸̭̗͓̙͚̖͉̦̭̼̑͗̒͒̓ů̙̻͉̳͛̃̄̋͜͡g̟̪͍̞̼̬̍͑͌̅͊̐̒͘͝h̷̰͙̥̼̭͈͓̝̓̈́̐́̊͌̓̍̋͐ à̶͕͈͓͍͉͖̫̬͊̂̃͘͝ͅc͚̦͎̲̙̺̿́͛͘͡t̸̢̢̛̼̯̳̬͎̤̜̀̂̃̌̂͊̑͠ǫ̵̺̮̥̻̩̩̘̋͋̍̏͒͆̽̾̕̚͢r̭͕͎̥͙̀̆͂̔̍̇̐͌͘͢,̷̧͓̘͓͍̰̞͎̋̍͊͒͟ y̷̹͍̜̞̘̽̋̈́͗͟͠ͅĕ̸̡̡̡͚̣̰̝͔̮̥̿͛̇̏̄t̢̻̩̹͓͎̪̦̜̽̍̈͛̈̎̋͘͜ á̵͉̱͔̤͗͂̕̕̚͢ ç̹̜͖̹̈́̿̔͋͒̚͜͠͠͞r̴͙̪̘͇̞͆̐̃͗͋̓͜͡ỹ̧̡̛̦͍͙͎̒̌̕̚͜͝b̶̛̺͓̫̱͉̦̯̤̗͌̇̃͐̒͞a̶̧̖͉̪͍͉͚͒̈̎̅͌̽̕b̙̻̪̘̠̀͌̐̔̏͜͟ŷ̷̧̳̦̮̝̈́͂̚͜͡ͅ ḏ̣͍̙̟̯̒͑͆̾̈́̆͋͐̚e̶̢̙̹͎̜̪̣͙̊͗̿͗͗͘͡͞ě̥̳̺̹̺̙̪̬͕̋͊̎̓̂͊͘p̳͖̳̟̗̘͊̏͊͑̓̑̂͟͝ ḑ̷̤̥̥̮̗͇̋̉̾̾̆̾̚o̙̹͈̥̩̤͚̹̮͈̾̋̒̑̃w̙̪̜͓̹̘͐̾̐͘͠n̴̝͕̗̄̄̓͗̒̀̆̾́͢͢.̸̡͔͚̰̬͓͇̤̟͇̈̊͂́̉̂̔͋̕” Anti laughed, the distorted voice sounding like nails on a chalkboard. Avery tried to regulate her breathing, and yet, tears slipped down her face. She couldn’t die, not now, not now…  
“Hey!” A shout from one of the buildings--neither could tell which--startled both of them. Anti froze, his grip on Avery’s arm loosening. As he fled and she fell to the ground, she felt a painful stinging on her left cheek. Her tears worsened the pain, and someone--presumably the person who shouted at Anti--ran over.  
She didn’t bother to see who it was, or cared when they picked her up with ease and carried her to Bluebell House. Even as blood poured from the cut on her cheek, one phrase was repeated over and over in her mind.  
 _It’s my fault. It’s my fault. It’s my fault._

“Here, hold onto this.” Avery obeyed Luke’s instruction, and held the damp washcloth to her cut. Her gaze stayed fixed on the floor, avoiding both of the boys’ eyes on her. While she didn’t completely understand why Luke chose to take her to his dorm room instead of Nurse McPasta’s office, he wasn’t making her injury worse.  
“So, uh, what exactly happened? You got hurt pretty badly.” Ian asked from his desk chair. He was just as confused as Avery was when Luke came into the room, holding her in his arms and practically begging Ian to get bandages.  
“Anti tricked me, and I’m a dumbass for not figuring it out sooner.” She sighed, taking the washcloth away from her face and frowning when she saw the amount of blood absorbed into the cloth. “He was posing as Jack and tried to take me down to the soccer field. I asked him what was going on, that he was off, and he twisted my arm around my back and almost slit my throat. I’m so stupid for not running away sooner.”  
Luke sat next to her on his bed and reapplied the cleaner side of the washcloth to Avery’s cut. “It’s not your fault, Avery. Anti’s a manipulative guy. I’m just glad you weren’t killed.” He motioned for Ian to get bandages, and the other boy complied.  
“I know, it’s just...I’ve been dealing with Anti for almost a year, I should know how to avoid him by this point.”   
“It’ll be fine, I promise.” Luke shifted to the side, letting Ian apply the bandages to Avery’s cheek. “But all of us should really be on the lookout in case we see anyone acting weird. Especially Jack. I just don’t wanna see you hurt, Avery.”  
Avery hummed in response, but no one else had anything to say. Luke sighed, looking back on what had just happened. If it was someone else getting attacked by Anti, would he have jumped to attention as quickly as he did with Avery? Hell, even if it was Ian, or Ellie, would he still immediately try to stop him?  
Well, of course with his friends. That wasn’t really a question. But what about a stranger? Or even his motivations being different? Was he only saving Avery out of jealousy, to show that being with Jack would just hurt her and that she should be with him instead?  
No, Christ, those were too many questions for now. After Ian was done bandaging Avery’s cut, he stepped away to let Luke see. Avery sighed and scooted back towards Luke, placing her head on his shoulder. His face flushed, and he hoped that no one would pay too much attention to it.  
“You guys are gonna keep me safe, right? I hate to break it to you, but Anti’s not the only demonic creature coming back.”   
Ian groaned. “Man, can’t these guys pick a better time to do this? I’ve got dimensional void nightmares to deal with, and now this!” He sat next to Avery and placed a hand on her shoulder. Luke drew her closer and wrapped an arm around her waist.  
“We can do this, Avery. We beat CA as first years, who says we can’t do it now?”


	3. Chapter 3

“Oh god…” Jack opened his eyes and blinked, struggling to clear his vision. He was sitting down on something hard and cold. As the world came into focus before him, he realized he was on the bleachers of the soccer field, stuck between metal benches. The sun was almost gone from the sky, and stars dotted the dark blue expanse of the sky. Jack sat up with great effort, wincing when he heard his joints cracking. He noticed that he was holding something in his hand, and immediately threw it away from him when he saw it.  
 _A knife. Where the hell did I get a knife?!_ Jack inched closer to it, and saw that there was dried blood on the blade. The memories of the early evening came rushing back, when he wanted to see if Avery was around. He had just sat up from his desk and was putting on his shoes, but he couldn’t remember anything else afterwards. _No. No no nononononono. I hurt Avery, that’s what happened._  
Jack stood up, and an immediate flash of pain shot through his head. He groaned in pain, and held a hand to his forehead. At this point, he should’ve expected headaches after his encounters with Anti. He gingerly picked up the knife and tucked it away, hoping he could throw it away before a teacher saw him with it. As he left the soccer field, though, a familiar face left Bluebell House with their hair breezing behind them in the slight winds.  
“Avery! Oh god, you’re okay! I was so scared that…” Jack trailed off as he approached her. Her eyes widened, and she backed away for a second before seeing the relief in his vibrant blue eyes.  
“Y-yeah, I’m fine. Sorry about that, I thought Anti was still inside you.” She brushed a hand over the bandage on her cheek, and Jack frowned.  
“He did still hurt you, though.” He sighed and stepped closer. He lifted up a hand to touch the bandage, but hesitated. Would that be too much? Tentatively, he did. Avery didn’t seem to mind. “Why were you in Bluebell, though? I thought you would be with the nurse.”  
She looked down at the ground and shifted her feet. “Oh, that. Luke ended up finding me. I guess he wanted to take care of me himself.”   
Of course. Jack knew full well how Luke felt about her. It wasn’t easy for him to hide, and then again, he wasn’t a person who hid his emotions. If Avery didn’t know that he was in love with her, well, she wasn’t good at picking up social cues. It was surprising--and relieving, in Jack’s case--that he hadn’t confessed yet.  
 _I shouldn’t be jealous, but I am._ “Well, at least you’re okay. I’m really sorry, I don’t even know what happened.”  
“It’s fine, really. All that happened was Anti tried to lead me to the soccer field and tried to slit my throat.” Avery shrugged, as if she was just talking about a class Jack missed. After the terrors of CA when she was a first year, she had grown accustomed to it and Anti’s behavior. “But I’m okay now! You don’t have to worry.”  
“I won’t. I know you can handle this.” Jack trailed off, unsure of what to say next.  
“Hey, uh, this might sound kinda stupid, but can I ask for a hug before I head back?” Avery looked away, choosing instead to look at the front door to Primrose House across campus. “You apparently give really good hugs, so…”  
“Yeah! Yeah, of course.” Jack replied, almost too quickly. He wrapped his arms around her, and she hugged back. Jack lifted Avery a few inches off of the ground for a moment, and set her back down again. “I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”  
Avery nodded, and let go from the hug. “Yeah, like always.” She left for Primrose House, and left both of them aching for more contact.


	4. Chapter 4

It wasn’t very common that Avery woke in the middle of the night after her first year. Too often, she had woken when the only light outside was that of the stars and moon, and even then, there could be clouds outside. Sometimes, she ended up having a bad dream every now and then, but it wasn’t that today. She could tell something was off.  
She wasn’t the only one awake in her dorm, but that was normal. Ellie sat at her desk, still typing away on her laptop, her pale face illuminated by the screen. Avery’s bed creaked under her body, and her roommate jumped.  
“Avery, what are you doing up at this hour?” Her soft British accent was quiet, yet shocked.  
“I should ask you the same thing. I think something’s off.” She stood up and looked out the window. On the stretch of sidewalk she could see, scorch marks in the shape of feet paced up and down, melting the frost that would normally be coating the concrete. “CA’s really back this time.”  
Ellie groaned. “Ugh, not again. Avery, you should really stay inside. You can’t keep risking your life like this.” She stood up and joined her friend at the window, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Hasn’t CA tortured you enough?”  
“It’ll keep doing that if I don’t stop it. I’m glad that you’re concerned, but I need to get rid of it before it kills me. I can’t hide from it anymore.”  
“Well…” Ellie sighed, looking around the room. She spotted something on the other side of the room and rushed over to grab it. She headed back to the window and showed Avery what she found. “Shouldn’t you take Midnight with you?” Cupped in her hands was the pendant of a necklace Ellie made Avery in first year, designed like a bat, its little wings outstretched. “She protected you the first time CA was around.” Avery took the pendant in her hands, the bat’s beady black eyes shining back at her. For whatever reason, the necklace acted as a talisman against the wraith. Neither of them had figured out why.  
“Fine, I’ll wear her.” She took the necklace and strung it around her neck, Midnight settling on her chest. “Let’s just hope CA hasn’t developed some sort of resistance against her.”  
“Oh, come on.” Ellie shook her head. “Her cuteness can overpower the strongest of wraiths. You saw it yourself.”  
“Alright, I believe you.” Avery sighed, and gave Ellie a quick hug before slipping on her shoes and heading out into the night.

The frozen grass crunched under Avery’s feet, creating shoeprints in them. Her breath was visible in the cold, crisp air, and wove around her as she looked around. CA had to be on campus somewhere, she was sure of it.  
She clasped her hand over Midnight and continued walking, careful to catch a black wisp from the corner of her eyes. She couldn’t afford to be taken by surprise, especially when she wouldn’t be able to harm it out of its disguised form. At the very least, Midnight would protect her. She had to.  
Incoherent whispers reached her ears, and she turned around, holding the bat out in front of her. No one else was around but her. No one to help her but herself. She was alone.   
_I can’t be scared. Not now. I can’t go down as a coward._  
_“But what if your life was in danger?”_ The whispers were clear now, and Avery turned around, her eyes widening. In front of her, black smoke was congregating into one creature far taller than her. Pure white eyes almost seemed to glitch into existence near the top of the smoke, and twisted, sharp hands revealed themselves from it. _“You can’t live forever, little girl. And once you’re dead, I’ll feast on your corpse until the only thing left is that bat.”_  
Avery’s mind screamed at her to run, to get back to Primrose House. She felt paralyzed in CA’s presence, her heart pounding in her mind. If CA killed her now, what would happen? How would Ellie feel? How would _Jack_ feel, knowing that the only person willing to protect him from Anti was gone?  
Her legs shaking, she took a step back from the wraith. And another one. She held out Midnight like she was a cross, and CA a possessed body. “I got rid of you when I was a first year. I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to do it again.” The paralyzing feeling broke away, little by little, and Avery raced off.  
Still, as she ran, a phrase echoed from CA and wormed itself into her mind.  
_“I’ll make your life nothing but a nightmare until the day you die.”_


	5. Chapter 5

It had become difficult for Avery to hide that she was shaken anymore. For Jack, Ellie, and Luke, all three of them could tell something had happened to her that night. She was still wearing Midnight around her neck, sometimes gripping to her--Ellie and Luke figured feeling the bat was a source of comfort, and Jack wondered if it was because she could feel CA’s presence still lurking somewhere.  
Avery wasn’t able to focus in class either. Miss Shizuka’s voice became white noise to her, and since she was in a better mood, she decided not to call on her. She left her to bounce her leg and fidget with her pencil in peace.  
Something they didn’t expect, though, was Avery not attending lunch at all. Instead, she headed outside to eat. Jack watched as she left the cafeteria, and turned his attention back to the three others at their table. He and the other students who knew about CA had gotten to start sitting together again, like they did the last time it was a threat. Avery expressing her worries to them was enough to make it happen again.  
“Maybe one of us should check on her. Just to make sure CA isn’t following.”  
“Ellie, you think this thing is so stupid to think it’ll attack her in broad daylight with the students in view?” Ian gave her a look, and Ellie shrunk back in her seat. “Even then, I’m not gonna do it.”  
Luke cocked his head at his roommate. “Why not?”  
“Void.” Was his only response, and it was enough for the rest of the group to stop questioning him.  
“I’ll go look. I’m done with lunch anyway.” Jack stood, and as he was about to leave, he felt Ellie grab onto his arm. He glanced back, her dark eyes worried.  
“Please promise us you’ll be safe?”  
“Promise. Don’t worry about it, okay?” He gently pulled Ellie’s hand off his arm and patted her shoulder. “I’ll be back in time for class.” With that, Jack dumped his tray and headed outside, to wherever Avery might’ve gone.

“Fuckin’ hell…” _This is taking way more effort than it should._ Jack eventually found Avery, but she wasn’t in any of her usual outdoor places. Instead, she was behind the library, her tray dumped in a trash can nearby. Even stranger was that she wasn’t doing anything: not playing her 4GS, not doing homework or studying, just...staring. “Avery?”  
She jumped at the sound of her voice, and she seemed to snap out of her trance. “O-oh--it’s just you.” She sighed and faced forward again. Jack hesitantly sat down beside her.   
“What’s up, you okay? You just left the cafeteria, and you’re here instead of by the tree or the soccer field.”  
Avery was silent, and it worried Jack. Slowly, he slipped his hand over hers. She glanced down at their hands, then back up at him. The look in her eyes worried him--confused, saddened, and...scared?  
“Avery, I’m serious. Are you okay?” He asked again, hoping this time he could get a response.  
“Not...not really.” Jack tightened his hold on her hand. “God, I feel fucking pathetic. First time I nearly got my limbs ripped off by CA, I wasn’t fazed at all. Now just simple intimidation spooks me for at least a week!” She laughed half-heartedly.  
“That’s what’s upsetting you?” Avery nodded, and Jack moved his hand to squeeze her shoulder. “Stuff like that happens all the time. This was the first time you saw it outside of nightmares in a couple years. You’re not pathetic…”  
She refused to look at Jack. “It’s not just that. I feel like I’m not really...pulling the weight of the group. All I seem to do is get in trouble and watch as you guys scramble to help me. Hell, Ian’s void nightmares are starting to affect him physically again! Meanwhile, I become fucking useless at one sign of some wraith coming back.” Avery’s voice cracked on her last word, but she didn’t seem to care.  
“You…” He trailed off at the sight of tears brimming at her eyes, and he shifted in front of her. “Hey, it’s okay.” The tears only seemed to increase as Jack wiped at them with his thumb, quiet whimpers being drawn from Avery.  
Carefully, he pulled her into a hug, letting her sit in his lap, one person’s arms tight around the other. Avery’s tears started to stain Jack’s uniform, but he couldn’t care. Any time she tried to speak, it would get cut off by more sobbing. He started to rock the both of them back and forth, gently rubbing her back.  
_However long she’s been holding this in, it’s a long damn while._ Eventually, the sobs were reduced to sniffles, and Avery looked back up at Jack, eyes still red and puffy.  
“You okay now?” She nodded, and he gave her a small smile. Whatever would help.  
The bell for next class rang throughout the campus, startling both of them. “We should head off. I…” Jack trailed off again, seeing that she was reluctant to leave. _Is now a good time?_ He looked over at the students exiting the cafeteria. _Fuck it._ All too quickly, he pressed their lips together, and he broke off and ran to Poppy Hall before Avery could register what just happened, leaving her even more confused than she was before.


End file.
